Today, we come to the end of the book of beginnings.
What began
with light and life ends with back to back funerals.
What began
with an eviction from the Garden of Eden ends with a promise to the land
flowing with milk and honey.
Lord, what
does this mean?
What are
You trying to teach us?
Genesis 50:1
Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept
over him, and kissed him.
Joseph is
56 years old.
He was 17
when sold into slavery. He lived 22 years in Egypt before his family joined him. His father, Jacob, lived 17 more years before dying at 147.
Of all the
brothers, Joseph had the least amount of time with his father, yet, look how he loved him. Surely the others were there, surely, they too loved their father, but
Joseph is the only one mentioned, and Joseph is the only brother mentioned
in the Hebrews 11 Hall of Faith.
The
depth of Love isn’t measured by quantity, but quality.
2 And Joseph
commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians
embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days
required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for
him seventy days.
Why are we
more consumed with preserving the body than the soul?
This was a great
tribute to Jacob, especially since he was a shepherd, which was a despised
occupation in Egypt.
He was
probably known as the father of Joseph, the man who interpreted
Pharaoh’s dreams and saved the world from famine.
Joseph had
his father embalmed not only because it was a customary honor in Egypt, but
because he was to be carried to Canaan, which would take a lot of time and this
would preserve the body.
The mourning
lasted 70 days. Just two days shy of that for Pharaohs.
Egyptians
mastered the are of embalming.
This
is kinda gross, so read at your own risk:
They’d
pull the brain out through the nose. Cut open the left side and take out the
organs and preserve everything but the kidneys. They left the heart intact
without removing. The cavity would be rinsed with an antiseptic of palm, wine
and cedar oil, then packed with cloth soaked in sweet smelling myrrh and
cinnamon.
Then
they’d soak the body for 30 days, in natron powder, basically baking soda and
salt.
Then,
they’d encase the body in cloth soaked in a lime compound.
Finally,
the body would be placed in a wooden airtight coffin that conformed to the
body. A Pharaoh’s would be in gold.
This
process preserved bodies, even to this day.
4 Now when the days
of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh,
saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of
Pharaoh, saying,
Why’d
Joseph speak to Pharaoh’s household instead of directly to Pharaoh?
It might
have been due to protocol while Joseph was in mourning. Or, maybe, Joe didn’t
have as much favor as he once did with Pharaoh.
Seventeen
years earlier, in the thick of the famine, Joseph was like a superhero, in
Genesis 47, he went to Pharaoh directly and introduced five of his brothers and
his father.
But now the
famine’s been over for a dozen years. Joseph’s usefulness isn’t as urgent or
necessary. Joseph’s family is growing, and gobbling, up the beautiful land of
Goshen.
Now,
rather than going straight to Pharaoh, he speaks to his household.
5 ‘My father made me
swear, saying, “Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the
land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now therefore, please let me go up
and bury my father, and I will come back.’ ”
6 And Pharaoh said,
“Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up
to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of
Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land
of Egypt, 8 as well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s
house. Only their little ones, their flocks, and their herds they left in the
land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it
was a very great gathering.
It appears
Jacob was popular among the poor folks and old folks.
The servants
(ebed: servant, slave, bondservant).
The elders might refer to officers in the land, however the literal translation is: elders zaqen; old, elder, aged. Look it up, there’s a picture of a snowbird 😉.
He was old
and nearly blind but imagine the stories he could tell.
·
Wearing
wool pretending to be his hairy brother.
·
Then,
fleeing for his life because of it.
·
The
stairway to heaven dream, with angels ascending and descending and God speaking
to him from the top.
·
Waking
after his wedding married to the wrong woman.
·
His
sheep breeding process with sticks in watering troughs making the healthiest,
black and white spotted sheep still raised today, called Jacob Sheep.
· The reason for his limp was an old injury, from his wrestling match with God.
·
Then,
oh boy, the stories he could tell, about his boys...
So, off
they went. From Egypt to Hebron, a journey of over 300 miles, they packed up
and headed out. Old folks and poor folks, along with the mighty Pharaoh’s
horsemen and chariots; Jacob’s great funeral procession, leaving only the little
ones and livestock.
Did
Jacob’s latter years, while humble, weak and almost blind, have more of an
impact than his formidable years full of strength and conniving?
Although far from the Promise given him by God, he embraced it and received it by faith (Hebrews 11:13), and pointed his family to it, settling them in the unlikely incubator of Egypt, where they would grow into the mighty nation of Israel, that would give us, our Savior.
No matter where we’ve come from, or what we’ve
done, Lord here and now, we vow, to make our latter days greater than our
former. Not by mighty escalades and deeds to be seen by men, but by faithfully
pointing everyone You send us, straight to You.
10 Then they came to
the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned
there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days
of mourning for his father. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the
Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said,
“This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians.” Therefore its name
was called Abel Mizraim,
(êbel: mourning; Mizraim: Egypt,) which
is beyond the Jordan.
Now
they’re getting close to the grave.
The times
of somber silence during the seventy days of mourning are over. Now, the
floodgates open. Quiet tears turn to, uncontained mourning, uncontrollable
sobs, unconsolable grief.
Like when
the reverence in the funeral parlor turns to weeping and wailing when the
casket is about to be lowered into the grave.
12 So his sons
did for him just as he had commanded them. 13 For his sons carried him
to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah,
before Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as
property for a burial place.
Together, Jacob’s sons buried their father.
How good
and pleasant it is when families unite during times of mourning.
Too often
instead they fight.
Lord, we pray that we, Your family, will not sorrow like those who have no hope (1 Thes. 4:13). Let us weep, yes, weep indeed, for we will miss them, but let there be Easter in our tears. Knowing that in You, this is not the end, in You, death is just the doorway, to the beginning.
14 And after he
had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he
and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his
father.
Notice the
spotlight remains on Joseph. Although the eleventh son, he had the mantel of
the firstborn, the leadership role as head of the household.
With God promotion comes not from the north or the south, the east or the west, or birth order, or gifts and talents, but God establishes one and puts down another. Psalm 75:6-7.
Notice
something else that begs a question.
They returned
to Egypt.
Why? The
famine was over a dozen years ago. We’re back in the land. Our
land. The land God promised.
What are
you waiting for God? Give us our land flowing with milk and honey.
Why’d they return to Egypt?
The best
commentary on the Bible is the Bible and God told Abraham, that his descendants
would be in a foreign land for 400 years (they were Abe’s descendants in a
foreign land, but they’d only been there for 17 years, so they had a ways to
go), and then, they’d return, for the iniquity of Amorites is not
yet full, Genesis 15:16.
The sins
of the Amorites hadn’t reached the tipping point, yet.
Yeah, but
God, we don’t care about the sins of sinners. You promised us the land, why
wait for them to sin some more? Just boot ‘em out, or knock ‘em off.
Ezekiel 33:11, God
does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn
from their wicked ways and live.
2 Peter 3:9, The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, but patient, not
willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance.
However, iniquity
does not go unnoticed or unmeasured forever. When the cup of
iniquity is full, God’s patience ends, and His wrath begins.
Jesus had
enough when He rebuked the overflowing never ending sins of the scribes and
Pharisees, saying, “Fill up, then, the measure
of your fathers’ guilt. (Verdict: Guilty) 33 Serpents, brood of
vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? (Judgement:
hell). 34 Therefore, indeed, I send
you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify,
and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to
city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood
shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel
to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered
between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all
these things will come upon this generation.” Matthew 23:32-36.
It’s so
very dangerous to become numb to iniquity.
Lord,
please don’t allow us to become desensitized to evil, keep our hearts tender
toward You.
God knew
in 400 years the iniquity of the Amorites would be full. He knew it
would happen; He did not make it happen.
So, in the
meantime, God had the Israelites grow in the incubator of Egypt, so they’d be
ready when the time came to inhabit the Promise Land.
Interesting
parallel. America has been an incubator for Israel. Approximately 45% of the
world’s Jewish population lives in US. (7.2 million in Israel, 6.3 million in
US).
Just
think, perhaps, today, somewhere in the Jewish population are a 144,000, who
will during the seven-year tribulation, accept Jesus as Messiah, and be sealed
and protected and used by God as evangelists to lead to Christ a great
multitude from every tribe, tongue and nation. Revelation 7:9.
Also note the
400 year clock. It’s been some 400 years since the Mayflower Compact was signed.
It was a covenant committing the governance of this land and people to God.
God takes
covenants seriously.
Why do we
mention it?
Because
Genesis is not only the book of beginnings, but the seedbed for all that
follows. It not only tells what did happen, but is a foreshadow of what will
happen.
How long
before the iniquity of this world’s sin overflows?
How full
is the iniquity of the Americanites?
How long
before God says to the earth, as He said to Egypt, “Let My people go.”
How long
before God’s seven year cup of wrath is poured out on the planet?
Speaking
of wrath...
15 When Joseph’s
brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate
us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.”
It’s been
39 years since they sold Joseph into slavery.
Revenge
was the furthest thing from Joseph’s mind. He’d forgiven and all but forgotten
what they’d done.
Obviously,
they didn’t. They had irrational fear. They needed the love that 1 John 4:18
talks about. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out
fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect
in love."
The inward
effects of sin remain long after the outward circumstances have long since
vanished.
Flee from
sin, all of it. It’s a putrid poison. Even after repenting and being forgiven,
it’s haunting memory can plague the soul.
Lord
help us to love as You love, and forgive
and be forgiven.
16 So they sent messengers
to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17
‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your
brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.” ’ Now, please, forgive the
trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept
when they spoke to him.
In other
words, in our language, they sent Joe a text message.
We do the
same. Difficult situation, hard topic, don’t speak face to face—just send them
a text.
Nevertheless,
Joseph understood it was their way of saying, “we were wrong, we’re sorry,
please forgive us.”
Even
though they probably lied in doing it. The part about their dad commanding them
was probably fiction.
After all
Joseph had been through, his heart was still tender enough to weep for them.
A sure
sign of moral integrity and strength.
Lord, make our hearts tender enough to weep for others.
18 Then his brothers
also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your
servants.”
Like the
prodigal’s son.
Like us,
when we feel we’ve blown it one too many times. “I’m not worthy to be your son,
make me as one of your hired servants.”
But our
Father says, “Put a ring on his finger, and a robe on his back and kill that
fatted calf. My son was dead, but now he’s alive!”
19 Joseph said to
them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you
meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as
it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid;
I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke
kindly to them.
He spoke
the Truth in Love. What you did was bad.
But, God
weaves His wonderful ways through the wicked ways of man. He worked all things
together for good, to save many people alive, and Romans 8:28, hadn’t even
been written yet.
Joseph’s
comfort and kindness are our example. Don’t worry, you’re forgiven, I love you,
we’re family.
22 So Joseph dwelt in
Egypt, he and his father’s household. And Joseph lived one hundred and ten
years.
Joseph
lived another 54 years after Jacob’s death.
23 Joseph saw
Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children of Machir, the son of
Manasseh, were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.
Joseph
lived to see his great great grandkids from Ephraim, and his great grandkids
from Manasseh.
24 And Joseph said to
his brethren, “I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring
you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel,
saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from
here.” 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they
embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
What began
with an eviction from the Garden of Eden ends with a promise to the land flowing
with milk and honey.
Jacob said,
“I’m to be gathered to my people,” Genesis 49:29. (You’ll have a
funeral—I’ll have a family reunion).
Joseph
says twice, God will surely visit you and bring you out, and in, to the
Promise Land.
These
words from Joseph landed him in the Hall of Faith: By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made
mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions
concerning his bones. Hebrews 11:23.
Dear family of God, Egypt is
not our home. This world is not your home. However, until the iniquity of the world is full, and He pulls us to the Promise Land we must stay
in Egypt, stay in this world, stay in the fight, stay the course, making a
difference like Joseph and Jacob, pointing as many as we can, to the Promise
Land.
Let’s
pray.
Lord,
what You started with light and life, we messed up, were wrong, we’re sorry,
please forgive us. Thank You for coming to us, weeping for us, becoming the Way
to be restored to You. Thank You for Your promise to visit us and bring us
Home.
Until
then, please help us to help all those You’ve given us, to follow hard after
You.
Thank
You.
We love
and trust You, forever.
Amen.
Prayer
Requests:
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This
was feed for you to read. Now it’s Seed for you to sow.
Thank
you for sharing.
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